Riga Latvia: His Holiness the Dalai Lama began his two-day teachings on ‘Stages of Meditation’ and ‘Concise Stages of Path’ at the Skonto hall in Riga, Latvia.
His Holiness also met with various members of the media where he touched on topics relating to oneness of humanity and climate change. He lauded the spirit of the European Union which has placed greater value on the well being of the whole community in its entirety which has led to decades of peace among the member nations.
The Skonto Hall housed an audience of more than 3800; people from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as from Russia.
“Kalmyks, Buryats and Tuvans are not only traditionally Buddhist; they have a historic connection to Tibetan Buddhism”, His Holiness said while advising the devotees to upkeep to their own religious traditions. “Westerners who have travelled to India and converted to Buddhism have faced many complications later. Therefore, in the West, where the traditional faith is not Buddhist, I’m cautious about teaching Buddhism directly. In Germany and Italy, where I’ve just been, I talked more about philosophy and psychology”, he said.
His Holiness stressed on the significant role of religion in the 21st century. He asserted that though medication may help in relieving stress, it does not help in reducing negative emotions.
“The only way to reduce negative emotions is to transform the mind. Education and religion have taken different directions. Care for our inner world has been left to religion, but its influence is in decline,” affirmed His Holiness.
